On Saturday night, Deontay Wilder (33-0) was more Larry Holmes than George Foreman, but in the end, he remained undefeated and won his first world title. He earned a unanimous decision over Bermane Stiverne (24-2-1) and took the Haitian's WBC heavyweight title.
The victory made Wilder the first American-born heavyweight champion since Shannon Briggs won the WBO crown in 2006.
If you predicted this bout would go the distance, I hope you also played Powerball on Saturday night. The two men came in with a combined 53 knockouts in 58 bouts. A violent finish seemed like a sure thing. In reality, it wasn't in the cards.
Stiverne's career isn't on the rocks, but there isn't much value in being the first man to go the distance with a guy who just took your title.
Even though Wilder's KO streak is now broken, winning by decision may have been even more impressive. Everyone knows he has the power to move any heavyweight. On Saturday night, we learned he has more skills than he was previously given credit for.
We were used to acknowledging his brute strength, but now we must recognize the fact that he knows how to box, use his length and stick to a game plan.
Now that he has a world title, it's only a matter of time before Wilder will be in position to challenge Wladimir Klitschko for the IBF, WBA, IBO and WBO heavyweight titles. Wilder has quenched the thirst for an American heavyweight champion, but the undisputed title still belongs to Klitschko.
What's next for the sport's newest world champion?